The measures were introduced on Wednesday morning after experts from the Fondazione Montagne Sicura (Safe Mountains Foundation) said 500,000 cubic metres of ice was in danger of sliding off the Planpincieux glacier on the Grandes Jorasses park.
The portion of the glacier is the equivalent size of Milan’s cathedral.
Around 65 people, including 50 tourists, have left homes in Val Ferret, the village beneath the glacier, while roads have been closed.
“We will find [alternative] solutions for residents,” Courmayeur Mayor Stefano Miserocchi said.
“The tourists will have to find other solutions.”
The glacier has been closely monitored since 2013 to detect the rate at which the ice is melting due to climate change.
Homes were also evacuated in September last year following a warning that 250,000 cubic meters of ice could fall.
In the event of a collapse, it would take less than two minutes for the mass to reach the road below.
There are 4000 glaciers across the Mont Blanc massif, the highest mountain range in Europe, which straddles Italy, France and Switzerland.
Scientists predict that if emissions continue to rise at the current rate, the glaciers could shed half of their ice by 2050.
With ANSA
